DAVID MOYES is planning to use a ghost from Christmas past to avoid an FA Cup nightmare tomorrow.

DAVID MOYES is planning to use a ghost from Christmas past to avoid an FA Cup nightmare tomorrow.

Everton entertain Norwich City at the same stage of the competition in which Shrewsbury Town shocked them last season.

And the Blues' boss said: "Clearly Norwich are a better team than Shrewsbury and we will have to learn the lessons from last season's experience because, if we learned anything from that experience, it was that Cup upsets can and do happen."

Moyes believes that his squad is in better shape this season, though, to avoid another banana skin. Everton went into last term's tie having played four games in 10 days.

This season, however, there has been no New Year's Day action, giving the Blues almost a full week to prepare for the visit of the First Division leaders.

"I think we have been able to rotate our players a lot more this season," he explained.

"Against Birmingham we were able to introduce four fresh players who did not play in the game at Manchester United and that helped us.

"We certainly won't be able to use fatigue as an excuse." Moyes is only too aware of the motivation Norwich will have at Goodison - after his own experience when he brought Preston North End to Goodison for a fifth round tie in 2000.

"We came here and put on a good show," recalled Moyes. "We went out because it was the last time David Unsworth scored a 25-yard free-kick, as he keeps reminding me!

"But the Norwich players will be keen to show their boss that if they do go up - and they are in pole position at present - that they are good enough to play against Premiership teams.

"As a result we know it will be a fiercely contested tie."

Everton will be missing Alex Nyarko (foot), Steve Watson and Alessandro Pistone, while Lee Carsley (groin) is still receiving treatment.

Norwich will be without the cup-tied Leon McKenzie, but his place will be taken by Darren Huckerby, who made his loan deal a permanent move this week.